State Religion

Buddhist monks campaign in Thailand:

Groups of monks in the North and Northeast have been mobilised to persuade locals to support the call for Buddhism to be enshrined as the national religion, according to some charter drafters. Parinya Sirisarakan, a member of the Constitution Drafting Assembly's participation and referendum committee, said rumours were rife that a major Buddhist sect in Bangkok was funding the campaign.

Mr Parinya told a press conference at parliament that groups of monks had turned up at public hearings on the draft constitution held in northern and northeastern provinces.

During the sessions, those monks called for Buddhism to be declared in the new charter as the state religion, and handed out leaflets denouncing opponents of the move as people who were trying to ruin national integrity, religion and the monarchy, he said.